The following U.S. patent applications which are herein incorporated by reference are commonly-owned by the Assignee of the present application:
(1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,368, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH LOAD-SENSITIVE FIRING MECHANISM, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,584,919;
(2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,001, entitled ARTICULATABLE LOADING UNITS FOR SURGICAL STAPLING AND CUTTING INSTRUMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0206133;
(3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/030,980, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH REPROCESSIBLE HANDLE ASSEMBLY, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,297;
(4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,066, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH ARTICULATABLE COMPONENTS, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,861,906;
(5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,030, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH CONTROL FEATURES OPERABLE WITH ONE HAND, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,298; and
(6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/030,974, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEMS, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,296.
Endoscopic surgical instruments are often preferred over traditional open surgical devices since a smaller incision tends to reduce the post-operative recovery time and complications. Consequently, significant development has gone into a range of endoscopic surgical instruments that are suitable for precise placement of a distal end effector at a desired surgical site through a cannula of a trocar. These distal end effectors engage the tissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect (e.g., endocutter, grasper, cutter, staplers, clip applier, access device, drug/gene therapy delivery device, and energy device using ultrasound, RF, laser, etc.).
Known surgical staplers include an end effector that simultaneously makes a longitudinal incision in tissue and applies lines of staples on opposing sides of the incision. The end effector includes a pair of cooperating jaw members that, if the instrument is intended for endoscopic or laparoscopic applications, are capable of passing through a cannula passageway. One of the jaw members receives a staple cartridge having at least two laterally spaced rows of staples. The other jaw member defines an anvil having staple-forming pockets aligned with the rows of staples in the cartridge. The instrument commonly includes a plurality of reciprocating wedges which, when driven distally, pass through openings in the staple cartridge and engage drivers supporting the staples to effect the firing of the staples toward the anvil.
Different types of surgical staplers suitable for endoscopic applications are known. For example, one type of surgical stapler employs a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge typically supports a plurality of staples oriented on both sides of a longitudinally extending slot in the cartridge body that is adapted to receive a cutting member that is driven longitudinally therethrough. As the cutting member is driven through the cartridge slot, the staples are driven upward into the anvil portion of the instrument. The cutting member may be supported on a driven member that comprises a portion of the instrument apart from the cartridge. Examples of those types of devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,057, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING A FIRING MECHANISM HAVING A LINKED RACK TRANSMISSION and U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,075, entitled MULTI-STROKE MECHANISM WITH AUTOMATIC END OF STROKE RETRACTIONS, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Other types of surgical stapling instruments are configured to operate with disposable loading units (DLU's) that are constructed to support a cartridge and knife assembly therein. Such devices that are designed to accommodate DLU's purport to offer the advantage of a “fresh” knife blade for each firing of the instrument. An example of such surgical stapling instrument and DLU arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,361, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Prior surgical stapling apparatuses, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,361, employ firing lockout arrangements that can be difficult to use because the clinician must depress a plunger on one side of the handle to enable an actuation shaft to be actuated by cycling a movable handle. Such arrangement generally requires the clinician to use both hands (one to hold onto the handle assembly and actuate the movable handle and the other hand to depress the plunger). It would be more desirable to have a surgical stapling apparatus that has a more ergonomically efficient firing lockout trigger arrangement that does not require the clinician to use both hands to fire the instrument.